The folks over at MICGadget recently translated a report from the Shanghai Evening Post which gave the public more insight into Foxconn’s assembly plants. Here, a reporter went undercover as one of the many people hired to build the iPhone 5. He kept a diary in which he recorded his daily stories. The conditions were so hard he was only able to work for a few weeks before he had to call it quits himself. Below is an excerpt from his diary:

By my own calculations, I have to mark five iPhone plates every minute, at least. For every 10 hours, I have to accomplish 3,000 iPhone 5 back plates. There are total 4 production lines in charge of this process, 12 workers in every line. Each line can produce 36,000 iPhone 5 back plates in half a day, this is scary … I finally stopped working at 7 a.m. We were asked to gather again after work. The supervisor shout out loud in front of us: “Who wants to rest early at 5 a.m !? We are all here to earn money ! Let’s work harder !” I was thinking who on earth wants to work two extra hours overtime for only mere 27 yuan (USD$4) !?

For those of you who have been following the numerous stories about worker conditions, you won’t be very surprised to read what he had written. When it comes down to it, working at these assembly plants means you are in for incredibly hard work with little wages under pretty bad working conditions. Despite this being the case, workers go there voluntarily, the conditions and wages are deemed legal, and people seem to know exactly what they are getting into. It goes to show exactly how big companies make such big profits on products they sell and how hard someone on the other side is working to get the products ready for the public.

It must have been horrible for this guy to actually WORK for once in his life!! If he has time to be "going undercover", he either 1. Has plenty of money and time on his hands from the work his parents and/or grandparents put in during their life. Or 2. He has one of the relatively very few "civilized (easy) jobs" available on this planet. Not all of us can write stories, make movies, sing songs, etc. Or 3. He is a "reporter", pretending to work hard so that he can benefit and profit from the story he will write about how these people actually live.
In the real world... You apply for a job, you hope to get hired. If you are lucky enough to get hired...You put your head down, do what you are told, and you get get paid. It's as simple as that.
Those workers probably loved the fact they were getting overtime. The fact that the "undercover agent" didn't want to work more isn't surprising....He is used to working a little, for a lot... Not working a lot, for a little.
Who is he, who is ANYONE to say what is right, and what is wrong. Some people's lives suck, thats just the way it is, and always will be. Just be grateful you have the job and life that you do, and be even more grateful you don't have to live the way some do.

How can anyone ever expect to things like an iPhone to be made in America again? "They" always talk about reversing outsourcing in the news but you can't hire people for $2 an hour here. What can/should be done in the future to curb this? Money talks loudest unfortunately.

How can anyone ever expect to things like an iPhone to be made in America again? "They" always talk about reversing outsourcing in the news but you can't hire people for $2 an hour here. What can/should be done in the future to curb this? Money talks loudest unfortunately.

"They" meaning conservatives. "Oh gosh jolly gee, we need to make things the way they were 70 years ago!!!. Only buy AMERICAN! If you don't you are ruining this country, and supporting terrorism!! "it's all that socialist OBAMAS fault!! He took a white mans JEEEEOOOBBBB! Now he wants to take all our JEEEOOBBSSS! ".

It must have been horrible for this guy to actually WORK for once in his life!! If he has time to be "going undercover", he either 1. Has plenty of money and time on his hands from the work his parents and/or grandparents put in during their life. Or 2. He has one of the relatively very few "civilized (easy) jobs" available on this planet. Not all of us can write stories, make movies, sing songs, etc. Or 3. He is a "reporter", pretending to work hard so that he can benefit and profit from the story he will write about how these people actually live.
In the real world... You apply for a job, you hope to get hired. If you are lucky enough to get hired...You put your head down, do what you are told, and you get get paid. It's as simple as that.
Those workers probably loved the fact they were getting overtime. The fact that the "undercover agent" didn't want to work more isn't surprising....He is used to working a little, for a lot... Not working a lot, for a little.
Who is he, who is ANYONE to say what is right, and what is wrong. Some people's lives suck, thats just the way it is, and always will be. Just be grateful you have the job and life that you do, and be even more grateful you don't have to live the way some do.

no. some people's "lives suck" because they were never given a real chance. you have to understand, that its not as easy to become something from nothing in other countries. My dad is from Haiti, and in his country if you are born poor, you will die poor. there is no real opportunity for advancement. and if being a reporter is so easy, why dont you become one? make a lot of money, and then donate it to someplace? dont knock other people's jobs without any CLUE how much work their job actually entails. you should not "expect to be treated terribly, you should expect good treatment. They do what they have to to feed their families. but that doesnt mean that just because they NEED that job, that their employer has the right to treat them like ****.

And of course we're looking at all of this from outside of the country. For these people in that region it certainly is better than no job at all making no money at all. So who are we to judge? This "story" is just another sensationalist article designed to sell papers/news/web views without telling the whole story. Oh, and of course, it helps if you can "blame Apple" for yet another horrible thing! Can't wait until the masses are numb to all of these "blame the world's woes on Apple" stories, I am definitely sick of them already.

As for American workers, I know a few people who won't take minimum wage jobs because they feel they are "beneath" them, choosing to sit at home, earn 0 dollars per hour, and *****, whine and moan. Meanwhile they watch the Karda$hians, idiots who earn millions of dollars, and feel they should be making the same for as little effort. It's a shame the US has it so ***-backwards.

And of course we're looking at all of this from outside of the country. For these people in that region it certainly is better than no job at all making no money at all. So who are we to judge? This "story" is just another sensationalist article designed to sell papers/news/web views without telling the whole story. Oh, and of course, it helps if you can "blame Apple" for yet another horrible thing! Can't wait until the masses are numb to all of these "blame the world's woes on Apple" stories, I am definitely sick of them already.

As for American workers, I know a few people who won't take minimum wage jobs because they feel they are "beneath" them, choosing to sit at home, earn 0 dollars per hour, and *****, whine and moan. Meanwhile they watch the Karda$hians, idiots who earn millions of dollars, and feel they should be making the same for as little effort. It's a shame the US has it so ***-backwards.

So I guess it's okay for them to be treated without basic human rights because it's better than making no money at all? Might as well start slavery again for people who choose to work it (not specifying a race), since it's better than making no money at all. I'm sure that there are plenty of people here in the US who would choose to work in the field as a slave in order to put some food on the table for their family, but would that make it okay? You tell me how a human being living in the USA is different than a human being living in China.

I'm glad you're enjoying your apple product so much that you stopped caring about people's rights.

Thank you to all the hard workers who assembled this iPhone from which I type... Im truly grateful for their time and energy... I hope they're able to support a modest life for the long work days/weeks... I can't compare the cost of living differences between Hawaii and China, I might be considered "Poor" based off my income and the high cost of living expenses in Hawaii but I get by and am content with what I receive for my hard work... I hope those workers are paid enough to get by...

I would even pay more for made In China things if it meant that Chinese workers got paid considerably more...

So I guess it's okay for them to be treated without basic human rights because it's better than making no money at all? Might as well start slavery again for people who choose to work it (not specifying a race), since it's better than making no money at all. I'm sure that there are plenty of people here in the US who would choose to work in the field as a slave in order to put some food on the table for their family, but would that make it okay? You tell me how a human being living in the USA is different than a human being living in China.

I'm glad you're enjoying your apple product so much that you stopped caring about people's rights.

+1

Originally Posted by Sage I

I would even pay more for made In China things if it meant that Chinese workers got paid considerably more...

Go one step further. I would pay more for an idevice if they insourced jobs back to the US.
Who's with me!

It must have been horrible for this guy to actually WORK for once in his life!! If he has time to be "going undercover", he either 1. Has plenty of money and time on his hands from the work his parents and/or grandparents put in during their life. Or 2. He has one of the relatively very few "civilized (easy) jobs" available on this planet. Not all of us can write stories, make movies, sing songs, etc. Or 3. He is a "reporter", pretending to work hard so that he can benefit and profit from the story he will write about how these people actually live.
In the real world... You apply for a job, you hope to get hired. If you are lucky enough to get hired...You put your head down, do what you are told, and you get get paid. It's as simple as that.
Those workers probably loved the fact they were getting overtime. The fact that the "undercover agent" didn't want to work more isn't surprising....He is used to working a little, for a lot... Not working a lot, for a little.
Who is he, who is ANYONE to say what is right, and what is wrong. Some people's lives suck, thats just the way it is, and always will be. Just be grateful you have the job and life that you do, and be even more grateful you don't have to live the way some do.

Go one step further. I would pay more for an idevice if they insourced jobs back to the US.
Who's with me!

+1

Originally Posted by iLoveWindows&iPhone

"They" meaning conservatives. "Oh gosh jolly gee, we need to make things the way they were 70 years ago!!!. Only buy AMERICAN! If you don't you are ruining this country, and supporting terrorism!! "it's all that socialist OBAMAS fault!! He took a white mans JEEEEOOOBBBB! Now he wants to take all our JEEEOOBBSSS! ".

Really? He's a socialist because he's preaching America first? You do understand that America has an unemployment problem, and bringing outsourced jobs back to the states would go a long way to restoring the economy and putting Americans back to work. $4 isn't that far off from minimum wage in some states ie Georgia and Wyoming ($5.15). No buying American everything isn't realistic, but if you're an America based company you shouldn't be given tax breaks to outsource jobs. There millions of unemployed Americans how would gladly take minimum wage to provide for the families, tax breaks for outsourcing needs to end, those same tax breaks needs to go to those companies that brings Jobs back to the states.. You shouldn't allow someone else to dictate how you think, do your own research before you comment.

Go one step further. I would pay more for an idevice if they insourced jobs back to the US.
Who's with me!

Go two steps further, or should I say back — bring the jobs back to the US and keep paying THE SAME price.

Outsourcing only benefits the shareholders, who get an even bigger profit. Consumers get nothing, they still pay the same for their iPhone, even though it is cheaper to produce. Apple employees still get the same salary even though the company earns more. See how wrong all of that is, at least to the consumers and the working people.

"They" meaning conservatives. "Oh gosh jolly gee, we need to make things the way they were 70 years ago!!!. Only buy AMERICAN! If you don't you are ruining this country, and supporting terrorism!! "it's all that socialist OBAMAS fault!! He took a white mans JEEEEOOOBBBB! Now he wants to take all our JEEEOOBBSSS! ".

You're kidding right? It was Obama that approached Steve Jobs trying to get Apple to make the iPhone in America, not conservatives. It's "conservative" big businesses that are outsourcing to foreign countries. But lets not try to make this a partisan issue. The fact is that bringing jobs back to this country is a priority for both parties. Nor is it a race issue. More jobs is better for everyone. And if you really wanted to make it a race issue, bringing back the blue collar jobs that we're talking about losing to overseas labor would benefit the mid to lower class the most. This includes a vast number of minorities.

I'm sorry, but your copious use of exclamation points and capitalization only serves to punctuate your ignorance.

You're kidding right? It was Obama that approached Steve Jobs trying to get Apple to make the iPhone in America, not conservatives. It's "conservative" big businesses that are outsourcing to foreign countries. But lets not try to make this a partisan issue. The fact is that bringing jobs back to this country is a priority for both parties. Nor is it a race issue. More jobs is better for everyone. And if you really wanted to make it a race issue, bringing back the blue collar jobs that we're talking about losing to overseas labor would benefit the mid to lower class the most. This includes a vast number of minorities.

I'm sorry, but your copious use of exclamation points and capitalization only serves to punctuate your ignorance.

It must have been horrible for this guy to actually WORK for once in his life!! If he has time to be "going undercover", he either 1. Has plenty of money and time on his hands from the work his parents and/or grandparents put in during their life. Or 2. He has one of the relatively very few "civilized (easy) jobs" available on this planet. Not all of us can write stories, make movies, sing songs, etc. Or 3. He is a "reporter", pretending to work hard so that he can benefit and profit from the story he will write about how these people actually live.
In the real world... You apply for a job, you hope to get hired. If you are lucky enough to get hired...You put your head down, do what you are told, and you get get paid. It's as simple as that.
Those workers probably loved the fact they were getting overtime. The fact that the "undercover agent" didn't want to work more isn't surprising....He is used to working a little, for a lot... Not working a lot, for a little.
Who is he, who is ANYONE to say what is right, and what is wrong. Some people's lives suck, thats just the way it is, and always will be. Just be grateful you have the job and life that you do, and be even more grateful you don't have to live the way some do.

Dude you seriously have to be the most spoiled person on earth. It's oblivious you have never worked a real day in your life if you think exploitation is ok. It's because people like you that America is failing. It's ok for the Chinese workers to suffer because it doesn't effect you. Your a wake sniveling coward who likes to hear the sound of his own voice. I'm sure people around you rarely take you seriously, or even have respect for you. Kill yourself your a cancer to the world.

Originally Posted by iLoveWindows&iPhone

"They" meaning conservatives. "Oh gosh jolly gee, we need to make things the way they were 70 years ago!!!. Only buy AMERICAN! If you don't you are ruining this country, and supporting terrorism!! "it's all that socialist OBAMAS fault!! He took a white mans JEEEEOOOBBBB! Now he wants to take all our JEEEOOBBSSS! ".

I really hate this idiot

Originally Posted by Jbrooks424

no. some people's "lives suck" because they were never given a real chance. you have to understand, that its not as easy to become something from nothing in other countries. My dad is from Haiti, and in his country if you are born poor, you will die poor. there is no real opportunity for advancement. and if being a reporter is so easy, why dont you become one? make a lot of money, and then donate it to someplace? dont knock other people's jobs without any CLUE how much work their job actually entails. you should not "expect to be treated terribly, you should expect good treatment. They do what they have to to feed their families. but that doesnt mean that just because they NEED that job, that their employer has the right to treat them like ****.

Once again the complete ignorance of people in this country and some who posting here is clearly apparent. It would seem that I am the only person qualified to actually speak about factory work. In 2006/7 I spent a year working in Guangdong province inside a factory living in a dorm with Chinese workers and getting paid the same as them, about 1000 RMB a month. I usually worked from 7am until 5pm Mon thru Saturday and sometimes Sunday. Whilst some line work is repetitive almost everyone was happy to work there, they are free to leave any time they want.
In regards to the "reporter's" comment 27 RMB is actually a significant amount of money, whilst in the US it would buy a Starbucks coffee, over there I could buy a decent meal for less than 1 RMB. What you do find now though is the younger generation in China being exposed to the laziness of the West, looking for quick ways to get rich. They don't want to put in the effort to accumulate money.
To some's comments of bringing back the jobs to America.....you need a reality dose, the jobs are gone and so are the industries. Whilst China originally profited from cheap labor they are now becoming leaders in producing top quality products. Expect them to be the new Japan with a whole slew of brand names comparable to the Sony's, Nikon's, Mitsubishi's of the world.
So to produce the iPhone in America is not just a case of building a factory and hiring workers, all the components have to be imported from overseas, resulting in massive importation costs and wasted time.

Face it America's manufacturing era is in it's twilight, just as America exported to the world, so to will countries export to America. It is others time in the Sun now.